Backpacking on a pension: A fear of heights conquered as we land on the Rocks!!

Thursday 21st April

First of all dear reader, once again I must apologise for neglecting you; it's been nearly a week since I blogged. There, that's about as near to a confession you're going to get, on with day three in Sydney.

It was another good day weather wise and after our breakfast in Caffe Molinari, (they welcomed us like old friends), we set off to the main station to top up the Opal cards and take the train to Milson Point. Where and what is that you may be asking?

Milson Point just happens to be the metro stop on the other side of Sydney Harbour Bridge, we were crossing it in order to get off the train and walk back to Circular Quay - Lynn was not relishing the prospect of this.

You can actually book a trip to walk up the outside of the bridge but again out of the question for Lynn, out of the price range for me, the public walkway was the next best option. Out of the station and then up the stairway we all trudged. Not yet over the water Lynn kept well to the right hand side nearest to the rail and roadway. The view was spectacular and enabled me to get photos not accessible from below, that included the Opera House as well.

As we approached the end of the walkway we could see groups of "Bridge Walkers" all dressed in grey overalls and attached to each other and a safety line. They were climbing up to the start of the curve to eventually walk up to the apex, what a thrill that must be!

We decended via the traditional route (Lynn having done really well to overcome her fear of heights) and found ourselves in the area of the city called The Rocks, established shortly after the colony's formation in 1788 with an original bad reputation as a slum. Often frequented by sailors and prostitutes this area was dominated by street gangs up until the 1870's.

Nowadays you wouldn't imagine that sort of life as you walk round the narrow streets of this rather bohemian area of town. Trendy boutiques and swanky eateries dominate with good old fashioned pubs on most street corners. There is a visitor info centre that also vies for your dollars with ethnic and contemporary goods and clothing for sale, they even have a shop making and selling rock! I seem to remember my home town in Morecambe having such businesses - once.

Jim came up with our next touristy idea. You can catch the boat at Pier 5 on Circular Quay that takes you across the harbour to Milsons Point. It stops to let off passengers at the funfair then crosses again for one more stop before ending at Darling Harbour (we ate there on our first night in town). The method in this madness is you can photograph the bridge from underneath and what in effect is the opposite side, all for the effort of swiping the Opal Card when getting on and off the boat.

This was a pleasant half hour or so before we wandered round the harbour side in the daylight, an area packed with both tourists and the city workers from the towering corporation buildings that flank the jetties, all looking for lunch.

Walking back into town and stopping on the famous George Street shopping district we parted our separate ways, us in the direction of the Opera House, Jim and Clare for retail therapy. We had in fact booked an Opera House tour the night before (online) and we had about an hour to go before it began. Sections of the main road were being ripped up for an extension of the light railway tram system and we darted through fences and temporary walkways towards the harbour. We stopped to marvel at the shops in the Strand, a swanky shopping arcade similar to the Burlington Arcade that runs between Picadilly and Bond Street in London. The Strand is, like the Burlington a timeless destination in the heart of Sydney where you don't see a price tag on any item in the ornate window displays. Well, can you even put a price on a set of gents shaving brushes made of badger hair?

We reached the Opera House in good time and took a well deserved pit stop in the adjoining bar after which we showed our email confirmation on the iPhone to the ticket office and soon we were joining a group of people, all of us led by our guide: Bruce. Well he would be called that, wouldn't he?

The next hour we were shown around this huge multi staged auditorium, even getting out in between the sails, as the roof is called, seeing areas only accessible to staff and maintenance crews. A well worthwhile experience and one that had been on Lynn's bucket list.

Another reason for Jim and Clare to split from us in the afternoon was to book our evening meal, an all you can eat international buffet in a more than unusual setting - the equivalent of 97 floors up.

After getting back to the hotel it was a dash to get showered and changed before our meal in the clouds. We had to be seated by six to get the full effect of the sunset, the easiest way to get to it was across Hyde Park, past the War Memorials and through the shopping district.

The tower is housed on top of Westfield Shopping Centre, another place where I wouldn't be able to afford to open my wallet. We booked in and waited for one of the three elevators to decend. In no time we were at the top and the view just took your breath away as possibly one of the most famous cities in the world was laid out before you, a different vista every few minutes as the whole floor revolved - once again, camera going into overdrive!

It was mesmerising during the period of dusk but absolutely captivating as it got dark, a carpet of lights stretched out as far as you could see, Lynn nervously looking straight across, not down.

There was time for one more drink in Harpoon Harry's before an early night. It was another "red eye" flight back to Perth in the morning.

An alternative view from the walkway...